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“Safety first” is not just our mantra—it’s our job, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Communities have the right to know the safety record of America’s nuclear energy plants. We are proud to share it. We are conducting a thorough assessment of the safety of each nuclear plant to ensure they are prepared for any event that could occur.

One in five American homes and businesses is powered by electricity generated at the nation’s 104 nuclear energy facilities, which produce no greenhouse gases and which are the most reliable electricity generators. Nuclear energy technology is developed here at home, making it an important part of the nation’s comprehensive energy portfolio.

“Here at home, nuclear power is an important part of our own energy future... Our nuclear power plants have undergone exhaustive study, and have been declared safe...But when we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event...” – President Barack Obama

America’s nuclear energy facilities are built to a high safety standard, yet energy companies are actively reviewing their plants and procedures to ensure even more accountability. The U.S. nuclear industry embraces a simple principle: plan for the unexpected by integrating multi-layered safety features and operating procedures every step of the way.

The U.S. nuclear energy industry has created a joint leadership model to coordinate the industry's response to the events at the Fukushima Daiichi. The model will ensure that lessons learned are identified and well understood, and that response actions are effectively implemented industrywide.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the U.S. nuclear energy industry began examining ways to ensure safety is maintained in the face of extreme natural events. The industry has begun implementing a number of measures to maintain and upgrade the already-high level of safety at nuclear energy facilities.

The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview.

A new study will help operating U.S. nuclear facilities in the central and eastern United States reassess their seismic risks as part of efforts to implement lessons learned from the events at Fukushima Daiichi. A revised seismic model resulting from the study will also be used by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license new nuclear facilities.

The seismic source model emerged from a four-year study conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute, the Energy Department and the NRC. It replaces models in use since the late 1980s and will help operators of nuclear energy facilities determine how they can better prepare for extreme events that might occur about once in 10,000 years.Read More »

The Nuclear Energy Institute is urging the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to take into account the considerable resources required to comply with proposed information requests and orders to implement recommendations of the agency’s post‐Fukushima task force. In a comment letter to the agency, NEI has asked for a phased approach. “The NRC should ensure that the information requested is properly scoped and justified by safety significance to ensure responses to requests for information are timely and do not impose an unnecessary burden or distraction,” said Adrian Heymer, executive director of NEI’s Fukushima regulatory response team. “Requests should also be staggered to facilitate adequate review by knowledgeable or experienced personnel and allow for a phased response based on plant safety significance.”Read More »

International Atomic Energy Agency experts are in Japan this week to verify the Japanese government’s recent approval of the safety of Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Ohi 3 and 4, based on the results of European Union-style “stress tests.” James Lyons, director of IAEA’s nuclear installation safety division, said the final decision on restarting reactors shut down for safety inspections will rest with Japanese authorities. Passing the stress tests is a prerequisite for shutdown reactors to resume operation.Read More »

Ken Lowery is passionate about two things: vintage cars and Southern Nuclear’s corrective action program. Whether he’s fixing up an old car or reviewing a condition report, Ken approaches his work with the same goal: to find, analyze and fix potential problems.Read More »

The PBS news series “Frontline” will air a report tonight titled, “Nuclear Aftershocks.” The program will examine “the implications of the Fukushima event for U.S. nuclear safety and asks if any of our 104 reactors could suffer a Fukushima-type accident.” The program will focus primarily on how the nation’s nuclear plants prepare for emergencies, including seismic events. For the exact date and time that the program will air in your area, please consult PBS’s local listings.

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Taking Action To Boost Safety at U.S. Nuclear Energy Facilities

Through its relentless commitment to the pursuit of excellence in operations, the U.S. nuclear industry is taking significant action to ensure that each of the nation’s 104 nuclear plants operate safely and securely.